[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 52 (Wednesday, April 14, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E543-E544]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING THE LIFE OF JAIME A. ESCALANTE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GRACE F. NAPOLITANO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 14, 2010

  Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Madam Speaker, it is with great reverence that I 
rise to honor the life of Jaime A. Escalante, a husband, father, 
immigrant, and teacher who dedicated his life to educating and 
mentoring youth. Mr. Escalante was most notable for his dynamic role as 
a teacher at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, California where 
he pressed disadvantaged students to reach new levels of understanding 
in mathematics and to pass the challenging AP calculus exam. He was 
instrumental in transforming one of the lowest-performing high schools 
in the country into a national model for improving academic achievement 
of disadvantaged children in all subjects.
  Mr. Escalante was born on December 31, 1930, in La Paz, Bolivia. 
Early in his teaching career, he taught at top-rated Bolivian schools 
before he moved to California in 1963 to pursue a more promising future 
for his family. Because his Bolivian credentials were not acceptable to 
teach in any U.S. school, he mopped floors at a coffee shop while he 
enrolled in English classes and repeated his undergraduate education 
and teacher training. At the age of 44, Mr. Escalante left his job at 
an electronics company, taking a pay cut, to join the math department 
at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles.
  When Mr. Escalante arrived at Garfield in 1974, 85 percent of the 
students were low-income and the school was riddled with gang violence 
and on the verge of losing its accreditation. Mr. Escalante taught 
lower level math classes and soon earned a reputation for turning 
around students who initially lacked motivation. Escalante began 
teaching more difficult math classes which led to his establishment of 
an Advanced Placement (AP) calculus class for students who were willing 
to work hard, rejecting the usual markers of academic excellence, such 
as previous GPA scores.
  In 1978, Jaime Escalante enrolled 14 students in his first AP class. 
Only five students survived his rigorous homework and attendance 
standards, and two passed the AP exam. Two years later, seven of nine 
students passed the exam, and three years later, 14 of 15 students 
passed. In 1982, Mr. Escalante helped 18 students prepare for the AP 
test by working on lessons after school each day and holding Saturday 
and summer classes. All 18 students passed, with seven students earning 
a score of 5, the highest score possible on the test. However, 14 of 
the 18 students were accused of cheating by the Education Testing 
Service, and 12 students agreed to retake the test. All 12 passed again 
under highly monitored conditions.
  In 1987, Garfield students took 129 AP calculus exams, more than all 
but four high schools, public or private, in the country. That year 
more than a quarter of all Mexican American students in the United 
States who passed the calculus AP exam attended Garfield. Jaime 
Escalante's commitment to his students and high standards allowed him 
to make waves in the teaching world, drawing attention on the national 
scale from educators across America.
  Jaime Escalante's achievements were highlighted in the 1988 movie 
``Stand and Deliver'' and the book ``Escalante: The Best Teacher in 
America'' by Jay Mathews. Mr. Escalante was instrumental in changing 
the notion that social class and race were the best indicators of who 
could learn complex concepts and who could not. He proved that 
Hispanic, working class students from a failing school in East Los 
Angeles could achieve top educational goals if they were given enough 
time and attention from a dedicated educator.
  Jaime A. Escalante was honored with several teaching awards, 
including the Presidential Medal of Excellence in Education, the Andres 
Bello Prize from the Organization of American States, and the Free 
Spirit Award from the Freedom Forum, as well as being inducted into the 
National Teachers Hall of Fame in 1999.
  I wish to express my sincere sympathy to the family members that Mr. 
Escalante leaves behind. He is survived by his wife, Fabiola, his two 
children, Jaime Jr. and Fernando, and his six grandchildren. I ask that 
all of my colleagues join me to honor Jaime Escalante's commitment to 
our nation's students and his achievements that have changed education 
in America and will continue to inspire educators and students for 
years to come.

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